Veteran third baseman Chad Tracy retires from baseball

Oct 11, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals pinch hitter Chad Tracy (18) at bat against the St. Louis Cardinals during the eighth inning of game four of the 2012 NLDS at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

Veteran third baseman Chad Tracy has announced his retirement from professional baseball today according to MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo.

Tracy was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the seventh round during the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft. Tracy made his Major League debut with the D’backs in 2004 where he finished his rookie year with eight home run, 53 RBI’s and a batting line of .285/.343/.407.

The first/third baseman spent the first six years of his professional career with the Diamondbacks before moving onto the Chicago Cubs in 2010. Tracy appeared in 28 games where he only picked up five RBI’s but struck out 15 with a batting line of .250/.327/.295.

He ended being optioned to Triple-A Iowa after shortstop Starlin Castro was ready to make his Major League debut against the Cincinnati Reds. Tracy ended up being designated for assignment and released on July 1. Tracy ended up signing with the New York Yankees but eventually opted out of his contract to become a free agent.

Next team to pick him up would be the Miami (Florida) Marlins on August 5, 2010. Chad would hit his first home run of the season, while adding 10 RBI’s on top of that.

Japanese professional baseball team the Hiroshima Toyo Carp signed Tracy for the entire 2011 season. Chad jumped back to the United States in 2012 as he was picked up by the Washington Nationals where it appeared as if his career was slowly getting back on track.

Tracy finished his last two years in the Major Leagues with the Nationals where he recorded a total seven home runs, 25 RBI’s through 222 at-bats. Tracy signed the final two contracts of his career within a couple days of each other. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim signed him on January 29 but released him on March 23.

The Baltimore Orioles were the last team to receive his signature as an active professional baseball player but later released him.

Chad Tracy, now 33 years old, will walk away from the game with 741 hits, 86 home runs, 358 RBI’s and a career batting line of .274/.333/.439.

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